'Nice To Have A Little Bit More In Our Favour': Jamieson Relishes Bowler-Friendly Conditions

(MENAFN- IANS) Hamilton, Nov 10 (IANS) New Zealand fast bowler Kyle Jamieson has welcomed the assistance available to seamers in the prevailing conditions, describing the opportunity to put batters under pressure as a refreshing change, while also opening up about the mental challenges of returning from injuries ahead of a packed Test schedule.

Speaking about his approach to bowling in the current conditions, Jamieson said adapting to the weather and understanding what the surface had to offer were central to his plans. The tall pacer, who has endured an injury-disrupted period, believes the conditions have provided New Zealand's seamers an opportunity to make an impact.

"Just trying to manage a little bit of the weather stuff. Trying to get it right on what conditions are going to look like and, just trying to put them under a little bit of pressure,” Jamieson told broadcasters on the sidelines of the delayed third ODI at Seddon Park.

For Jamieson, the assistance on offer has been particularly welcome after spending much of his career bowling on surfaces where pacers often have to work hard for breakthroughs. He expressed his preference for conditions that allow fast bowlers to attack with greater confidence.

"No, I love it. I'm so used to like these wickets that are, you know, if you go under tens, you're having a good day. So it's nice to have a little bit in your favour. You can kind of just try and land on a spot and hope you get a little bit of assistance. So, it's nice to have a little bit more in our favour. And long may that continue,” he added.

Beyond the conditions, Jamieson's focus has also been on regaining complete confidence in his body after a prolonged spell of injury concerns. He admitted that getting to a stage where he could play without constantly worrying about his fitness had taken time and credited the work put in during his recovery for helping him reach that point.

"It certainly takes a while, right? Like it's probably only now that I sort of feel like I can sort of go out completely, I guess, free from some of that, not sort of, I guess too worried about what's going on. So yeah, it takes a while but just trying to trust the work that you've done, trust the process around it and then just ultimately just sort of surrender into the game, into what may or may not happen,” he stated.

The 31-year-old said his primary challenge during his time away from competitive cricket was getting his physical condition under control rather than making major changes to his bowling or overall game. With a demanding run of Test matches approaching, he is hopeful of putting his fitness concerns behind him.

"I kind of always felt like my game was in an okay space. It was just trying to get the physical and the body side of it sort of, a bit more under my control. I felt like if I could kind of put some of those steps in place, get a run of cricket under my belt, it was always going to be all right. So thankfully I sort of feel like I'm coming out the other side of it now and obviously a big run of Test cricket coming up. So touch wood we survive that,” Jamieson said.

Jamieson also acknowledged the frustration caused by the frequent changes to New Zealand's bowling combination, with injuries and rotation preventing the attack from building consistency and familiarity through extended periods together.

"It's a wee bit of frustration, right? You're trying to always put a similar attack out, and you sort of can build that camaraderie and build that cohesion. We haven't had the reps that we'd like. But hopefully over the next couple of weeks we'll sort of all come out here together and get a good run of cricket together,” he mentioned.

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